new computer
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My computer woes became too much. The last straw was the missing airport card. The computer decided that the card was no longer installed. Without my airport card, I have no wi-fi. Without wi-fi I cannot print, I cannot sync Things nor 1Password nor SplashShopper or Budget.
I ordered a new computer. I would have loved to have gotten a 27" iMac but I was too wary of some the problems they have been experiencing. Besides, the 21.5" iMac fits better in the space I have.
Once I received notification of shipping, the airport card started working again in my 17" iMac. Too little too late. I am still having weird random issues. I hope a fresh erase and install will get it working enough for Andy.
And because of the issues, I decided on not migrating the contents of the hard drive to the new computer. At this point, I don't know if I have a hardware or software problem. And there are some programs which may not be compatible with Snow Leopard.
My last two computers were purchased under duress. My previous computer had died and I needed something ASAP. I migrated what I could hoping to be up and running as quickly as possible. This time I have the time to take it slow and get things right. So I hope.
I started out making a fresh back up, just in case. Then I decided to make back ups or archives of the programs I use often like Address Book, 1Password, Budget and BusyCal. I put those on a thumb drive to transfer them.
Setting up the iMac was easy as always. The Magic Mouse is fun! I inserted the thumb drive and transferred over my backups. Then I started downloading my apps. One of the first apps I downloaded was Evernote. Then I synced it with their online database. Now I had (almost) all of my software receipts and serial numbers so I could download the rest. Address Book and Budget opened up fine. 1Password did not. Well, the app is fine but it would not accept the archive from the previous version. Oh joy. OK, I should be able to sync from my iPhone. Let's just hook up my external hard drive where I keep my iTunes library. But, um, Frick! This iMac has FireWire 800 and my EHD is FireWire 400. I need an adapter. I feel like this is 1995 and I forgot to buy the printer cable.
I can get the adapter tomorrow. So I go to download and install more programs. Next up is BusyCal. Installs fine but does not import the fire or perhaps the file did not export correctly. Either way, my calendar is empty. Again, I could sync with my iPhone but...
Those of you who are mac savvy are probably wondering why I don't use MobileMe. Well, I do this have a subscription but stopped using it when I got my iPhone. It just was too wonky. I find it better to sync through iTunes. Though I did use it to sync my bookmarks for Safari. Unfortunately, they didn't all come through.
So I didn't get very far in setting up my new computer. I did order the adapter and a FireWire hub from amazon to be overnighted. Yes, I could drive down to the apple store but their prices are higher and there is a chance they wouldn't have what I need. Why doesn't apple have a mobile version of their site?
I have some other issues that makes me slap my forehead. One is that Quickbooks 2007 will not work with Snow Leopard. It's not worth it to upgrade to Quickbooks 2010. It's $200 and I just need to close out LinneCards. There is also a question of compatibility with Office 2004. I am not sure if I should upgrade to Office 2008 or switch to iWork. I don't really need to worry about compatibility to other computers. I don't do complicated spreadsheets nor do I use macros. iWork is cheaper than Office 2008.
What a difference a few hours of sleep makes. (Not sleeping well, probably because I have not been exercising.) After breakfast, I set up the 17" iMac next to the new one. How puny and dull the screen is! I exported and backed up BusyCal, 1Password and Things, transferred them via iDisk. This time everything worked. Yay!
I decided to install Photoshop. I knew I would have a problem with my serial number. I upgraded from CS2 to CS3. I went from a suite to a stand alone product which really isn't allowed. But they don't tell you that when you buy it. So each time I install CS3, I have to call Adobe to have them bypass the registration code. Pain in the bum!
I went to the chiropractor because I started feeling dizzy again. I didn't want to wait another week for my adjustment. I feel better now.
I got home to find one box from amazon. Amazing that they can make any money by shipping everything separately. It was the adapter which is more important than the hub. I could finally connect my external hard drive and check out Ligjtroom and iTunes.
I had a hiccup installing Lightroom. I needed the serial number for Lightroom 1 since Lightroom 2 was an upgrade. But Adobe didn't have my serial number listed. Another call to Adobe. This time it took 20 minutes on hold before I spoke to a human. The guy was not as friendly or helpful. Luckily I found the serial number myself and got it working while I was put on hold. The Lightroom catalog is still messed up. I will have to start cleaning it up.
I did use Photoshop and Topaz Labs Adjust 4. Photoshop loaded wicked fast (compared to my old iMac) and Topaz Adjust 4 has a cool new interface.
I ran into more problems with Lightroom's export plugins. I had to reinstall them which wasn't a problem. But I needed to reregister them again. The one's from Jeffrey Friedl would not accept the previous code so I ended up paying for them again. Grrrr...
I didn't get much of a chance to play on Friday. I had 2 photowalks scheduled.
Suddenly, I am very tired.